UP govt recommends CBI probe into Sachan's death

LUCKNOW: The Mayawati government on Wednesday recommended a CBI inquiry into the mysterious death of Deputy CMO Y S Sachan in a jail here, a day before the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court is to give its order on a PIL seeking probe by the central agency.

"The CBI inquiry has been recommended on the directives of Chief Minister Mayawati, who reviewed the progress of Sachan's case in a high-level meeting and pulled up the police officers," an official spokesman said here.

The decision came after judicial probe into Sachan's death found it to be prima facie a case of murder, contradicting Uttar Pradesh government's claim that it was a suicide.

Opposing a PIL in the High Court seeking a CBI probe into the case, the Mayawati government, which had come under attack after the death of Sachan, had yesterday said it was ready for a probe by a Special Investigation team after the report by Chief Judicial Magistrate Rajesh Upadhyaya was opened before the Lucknow bench.

Arrested on charges of financial irregularities, Sachan, 52, was found dead inside the toilet of Lucknow district jail hospital on the night of June 22. He was also named as the key conspirator in the murder case of CMO B P Singh in April following the arrest of three shooters hired to kill him.

After Sachan's death, the government and police had initially claimed that he committed suicide. The post mortem, however, revealed nine injury marks on the body including the neck, elbows, wrists and thigh.